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Sheriff and communications manager warn against cuts to Matthews 9‑1‑1 staffing
Summary
Sheriff April Edwards and Communications Manager Laura Carson told the Board of Supervisors that proposed line‑item cuts to the 9‑1‑1 dispatch budget risked public safety and employee retention; both urged supervisors not to consider consolidation that would remove local control.
Sheriff April Edwards and Laura Carson, communications manager for the Matthews County Sheriff’s Office, urged the Board of Supervisors on April 17 not to cut dispatch staffing or shift Matthews dispatch operations to another county.
Sheriff April Edwards described multiple high‑demand incidents — simultaneous accidents, helicopter fly‑outs, mass call days during storms — and said her dispatch center requires two dispatchers per shift to handle emergency medical instructions, officer safety communications and multi‑incident coordination. “If we had not had two dispatchers on at that time, someone would have likely walked off the job and never come back,” she said, recounting a February ice storm and other high‑volume call days.
Laura Carson, the county communications manager, gave a detailed account of operations and training and said the center has eight full‑time dispatchers (plus two part‑time) so that two are on duty per shift. She described life‑saving work — dispatchers providing CPR instructions, coordinating helicopter medevacs and multi‑agency responses — and warned a single dispatcher could not safely manage simultaneous duties: “If there was only one dispatcher on duty, those life saving CPR instructions would not be able to be given,” she said.
Why it matters: Supervisors are in a budget process with constrained revenue options. Some board members had raised consolidation or cost‑saving ideas during work sessions. The sheriff and dispatch leadership argued that cutting dispatch positions or consolidating operations with neighboring Middlesex County would transfer control away from local law enforcement and degrade emergency response.
Context and numbers: - The county proclamation stated that in 2024 Matthews County public safety telecommunicators answered 2,886 9‑1‑1 calls and dispatched 19,237 calls for service (proclamation language presented earlier in the meeting). - Carson told the board the dispatcher complement is eight full‑time staff, one communications manager and two part‑time dispatchers; two on a shift provides simultaneous call handling and secondary dispatch coverage.
Board response: Several supervisors said they would not support cuts to emergency services. Supervisor David Jones called the proposed 5,000‑dollar reduction in the dispatch training/equipment lines “not acceptable” and said he would not vote for cuts affecting first responders. The board later rescinded or adjusted small line reductions after discussion.
Ending: The sheriff and communications manager asked supervisors to “stay in your lane” on operational decisions and to coordinate budget conversations with the sheriff’s office. The exchange left supervisors clear they view 9‑1‑1 staffing as off‑limits for cuts that would impair operations.
